Rain began to fall.
Not a storm—just a thin curtain of water drifting down through the smoke and flame. But even that small mercy cooled the burning ground and washed soot from the air.
I let my ruined naginata fall.
"It would seem the heavens are on my side," I said.
Morgan laughed weakly, blood running from the cut along her thigh.
"So it seems," she replied, leaning on her sword like a cane. "But you're without a weapon."
Her breathing was heavy now.
Sixty percent qi.
I steadied my breathing.
No weapon.
Enough qi for four hundred simple techniques.
But simple techniques are useless here.
Morgan lowered her center of gravity.
Her sword tilted forward.
"Ahh," she sighed happily.
Then—
Flicker Step.
She vanished.
I spun immediately, qi coating my forearms.
Guard Technique.
But if I reserve half a percent…
I can layer another.
Clank.
Her sword struck my arm.
The impact numbed my bones, but the guard held.
"Ha—!" Morgan gasped.
Her palm shot forward.
Cinder Touch.
Her hand struck my face.
The rainwater on my skin flashed instantly into steam.
Pain burned across my cheek.
Before she could pull back, I grabbed her elbow.
Then drove my knee into her stomach.
"Ahhhh!"
She folded.
Still holding her arm, I reached for her sword.
"Ignite Medium!"
Heat exploded across my abdomen.
The rainwater there condensed and ignited instantly, burning through cloth and skin.
I stumbled.
Morgan raised her hand again.
First Petal of the Rosefinch.
Her thumb and index finger formed the familiar ring.
I braced for the beam.
But nothing came.
"Oh my—!"
Instinct screamed.
I dove sideways.
A white sphere of qi landed three meters away.
The explosion that followed erased everything in that space.
Water vanished instantly.
Earth shattered.
Morgan didn't attempt it again.
Instead she raised her voice.
"Mother! I'm done!"
Logan appeared beside her.
His movements were quiet, almost bored.
His index and middle fingers extended.
I ducked.
A thin stream of qi sliced through the air where my head had been.
"She's interesting," Morgan said, completely ignoring me.
"But I'm tired of playing."
Relief flickered through my mind.
She can't continue fighting.
But Logan could.
Defensive focus?
Mirror Gate?
No.
Too risky without a weapon.
"You injured her thigh," Logan noted calmly.
He rubbed the back of his head.
Then tucked his thumb beneath his middle finger.
He flicked.
Dew Drop Stream.
Water shot toward me.
I punched through it.
The liquid froze instantly.
Ice sealed around my fist.
Not enough.
A normal Serpent Slash wouldn't reach him.
I lowered my stance.
My eyes flicked briefly toward Morgan.
She had collapsed near the tree where Logan had been sitting earlier.
Good.
That simplified things.
Qi surged through my body.
Second Strike of Xuanwu's Tail.
The technique blended two principles.
Serpent Lash.
Bubble Screen.
A localized pocket of filtered qi formed around my arms.
Range sacrificed.
Impact multiplied.
Logan stepped forward.
Closer.
Closer.
I waited.
Then struck.
My first blow smashed into his left arm.
The second tore across the right side of his abdomen.
Logan jumped back immediately.
He glanced down at the wound with mild curiosity.
Distance restored.
He sighed softly.
"Dew Drop Garden."
Rain answered his call.
Through the falling rain, certain droplets began to glow faintly with qi.
They flew toward me.
Halfway through their path—
They froze.
Ice shards stabbed into my arms.
My legs.
I staggered.
I thought it was Serpent's Lash.
But it wasn't.
Logan lowered his hand.
"It seems we'll be taking our leave."
But I refused.
I raised my arm.
Qi gathered for one final technique.
"Summer Rain—"
The world tilted.
My legs collapsed.
Darkness swallowed the battlefield before the technique could finish.